I’ll (Maybe) Be Back – Dr Mahathir Not Ruling Out Return As PM
Mahathir was asked what will be the first thing he implements if he’s prime minister again.
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Former two-time prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad attended a book launch featuring the Perdana Leadership Foundation (PLF)’s latest publication, A Conversation with Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad: A Legacy of Leadership and Vision, on 19 May at the Foundation in Putrajaya.
The launch included a special dialogue with Mahathir discussing the theme “Challenges of Economic Development in the 21st Century.”
Mahathir, who will turn 100 on 10 July, unsurprisingly made an interesting comment during the dialogue. He was asked what will be the first thing he implements if he becomes the prime minister again.
Without missing a beat, Mahathir said he would abolish the punishments on those who speak of 3R (race, religion, and royalty).
He explained that he must know what the people is thinking about, citing that keeping people’s mouths closed is not a good idea for leadership. He said he needs to be able to respond to people’s feelings and problems and failing to do so, he’ll fail to build a developed country.
We need freedom of speech. We need freedom to do business on our own. We need a good cooperation between the government and the private sector. We need to develop this factory and make things easy.
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad
Mahathir added that he feels there’s too much corruption, adding that the wealth of the country cannot be exploited due to corruption any more.
Netizens were amused by Mahathir’s comments regarding 3R due to his known stance regarding Malay supremacy and his previous comments that could divide races.
Some shared they didn’t want Mahathir to be prime minister again and wondered how many times he wants to lead the country.
To refresh everyone’s memory: Mahathir suddenly ‘‘rage quit’’ aka resigned as prime minister in 2020, leaving the nation without a government in a short time and the public had to go through another round of general election.
While Mahathir has his own lifetime fans, many agreed that he should remain permanently retired.
READ MORE: Dr Mahathir Is Very Active On Twitter With “Short And Sweet” Posts On Race
READ MORE: Dr Mahathir Is Party-Less But Why Is He In The News So Much?
READ MORE: Dr Mahathir Faces Backlash Over Comments On Malaysian Indians
READ MORE: Dr Mahathir Grilled By India’s TV Host, Insists Country Only Belongs To Those Who Founded It
Pls retire for good…. Pleaseeeee
— Nushi (@AnuNushi) May 20, 2025
Please rest Tun, Thank you for your service but we’ve had enough of you.
— VJ (@Vijen_39) May 19, 2025
That's like a wolf saying it will become a vegetarian if it won an election representing sheeps. pic.twitter.com/qB7LAY09bN
— 🤴 His Royal Highness of Subang 🏴 🌍 (@the_REAL_deal88) May 19, 2025
No lah. Punya ko tamak kuasa. Dah 100 tahun mau jadi PM lagi. Kuburbdah kata Mari dah weh. Sudah sudah la. Dekatkan diri pada Tuhan kan lagi afdal.
— Mektam (@Meranti99) May 19, 2025
100 years old and you still think you can be PM again?
— Yee Kuan Loh (@Lohyeekuan80) May 19, 2025
The desire to lead again remains strong in him, and that’s understandable. But if leadership becomes a tool for personal vendettas, then it loses its purpose.
— frightrice (@salzian) May 20, 2025
Who care about him anymore as he single handedly caused Malaysia politics become a chaos today by throwing away the PM baton.
— Calvin Lee (@usprotec) May 19, 2025
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